Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott release latest fundraising hauls | The Texas Get immediate access to organizations and people How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? Dozens of donations in quantities like $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 and page after page of $10,000 donations poured in over the course of the election cycle from individuals and PACs alike. Kathy Hochul raked in big campaign bucks over the last six months to the tune of $21.9 million from a well of donors who also used to give generously to disgraced ex-Gov.. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed SB 923, delivering on Abbott's reelection campaign goal to deny undocumented children access to public education unless the . Find a complete list of them here. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Carpenter, Cobos and Walker are three of 10 remaining ERCOT board members after the five others all of whom live out of state resigned this week. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. Greg Abbott (R), who easily won the primary with more than 66% of the vote, is by far the largest beneficiary of the industry's political giving. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. While (Gov. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, the governor received $44,778,653 in total contributions and spent $37,930,300 between January 1, 2021 and February 19, 2022. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources Abbotts potential opponents next year include former Democratic presidential hopeful Beto ORourke as well as several fellow Republicans who have criticized COVID-19 executive orders as overreach. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. The. Officials with ERCOT, which ordered local utility companies to shed load from the power grid as energy demand exceeded supply, are expected to answer questions during the hearing. Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. ALBANY - Gov. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. Abbott's campaign stressed that since the start of 2021, the two-term Republican incumbent "has raised nearly $95 million from more than 418,000 donations." Since O'Rourke announced his. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. 2022 campaign season: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raises almost $19 Million Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. Dan Patricks Senate. Abbott's campaign said his roughly $25 million in donations from the most recent filing period came from nearly 45,000 contributors, which is 1/10th of the number of donors reported by his challenger over the same time period. The organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. Cobos was appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) by Abbott in March 2019, three months after donating $1,050 to Abbotts campaign, state contribution records show. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Warren's donation is . If enough contributions came in from people connected Both are from Dallas. Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National Just before the energy donations poured in for Abbott in June, the power grid operator asked Texans, mid-heat wave, to conserve power and turn their thermostats to 78 degrees for a week in order to reduce electricity demand because significant power generation was unexpectedly offline. Among the state lawmakers Karnei has contributed to are representatives Shelby Slawson, Phil King and Matt Shaheen, all Republican members of the committee now charged with investigating ERCOT. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Abbott has long been considered a prolific fundraiser and O'Rourke garnered a similar reputation during his 2018 bid for the U.S. Senate, when he raised more than $80 million for his campaign. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. As of Oct. 29, 2022, Abbott received a greater percentage of his money from Texas donors compared with ORourke. the first of the month. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. Gov. But by the end of the legislative session, if Texas top power companies were aggrieved by the way they were treated by the Legislature or any of the new laws passed targeting their industry, they didnt show it. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. voters, researchers and others. He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. Rene Cross of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs, though, said Abbotts most vulnerable to a test by a younger Democrat such as ORourke or the Castro brothers of San Antonio, Julin and Joaquin. Using previous figures reported by the Texas Ethics Commission, O'Rourke has now raised more than $65 million in what has become one of America's most expensive races of the 2022 midterms. Other lawmakers who saw some of the largest spikes in funding from the energy industry were those who authored the power grid legislation and chaired the committees that heard the bills. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. Here's who's donated to Gov. Hochul's $21.9 million war chest Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The tour, which starts in O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso has scheduled 70 public events in 65 counties, including in many areas that historically have preferred Republican candidates. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases As Gov. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. website. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. ORourke and Abbott will compete separately in their own party primaries on March 1, but many are already looking ahead to a general election between the former Democratic House representative and the current Republican governor. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott hauled in nearly $19 million over the last nine days of June and boasted an eye-popping $55 million in the bank as he prepares to . Texas Gov. On June 23, Warren cut a check to Abbott's campaign for $1 million, according to the governor's latest campaign finance filing, which covers January through June. Critics said this and other storm response bills spearheaded by these lawmakers also failed to provide direct assistance to people harmed by Februarys power crisis or to help Texans reduce electricity use to take pressure off the grid during extreme weather. A large chunk of that cash was driven by Oncor, Texas largest transmission and distribution electric company, with many big donations coming from the company's executives. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. concerted effort by that organization to "bundle" contributions to the candidate. While some of this money. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . All rights reserved. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. How much have the candidates raised so far? As Gov. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. However, her son, H. Ross Perot Jr., who is also a billionaire, has given $500,000 to Abbotts campaign. AUSTIN Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. On Wednesday, Abbott underscored state Republicans delight that they held off the Democrats charge in the election immediately preceding a once-a-decade redistricting of political boundaries. Find a complete list of them here. He covers Gov. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. In Texas, Gov. Collier now has more money, a stronger team and a ground game that has pushed Patrick torun a more aggressive and public-facing campaignthan he ran four years ago. Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. after the 20th of every month. But the bill didnt set a hard deadline for when the upgrades need to be complete and it stopped short of detailing how the state would enforce and incentivize the process called weatherization. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. The Legislature ultimately passed a bill shepherded by Paddie in the House and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, in the Senate that requires power generation companies to prepare to withstand extreme weather conditions. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: info@crp.org Energy Industry Showers Gov. Greg Abbott, Other Texas Politicians - TPR The Defenders sent Oliver quotes from a Feb. 18 press conference during which Abbott said, ERCOT failed on each of these measures that they said they had undertaken. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. On Friday, Texans for Greg Abbott announced in a press release the governor raised nearly $25 . by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo Since the beginning of last year, Abbotts campaign has raised about $5.5 million from at least 17 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. The power grid was not included. In 2017, Abbott appointed her to lead the PUC, where she makes a $200,000 salary. Learn more about our work here. AUSTIN Since a deadly winter storm hit Texas earlier this month Governor Greg Abbott has repeatedly heaped criticism on ERCOT, the operator of the states electric grid, claiming the entity was woefully unprepared for the dangerous weather that has killed a still-untold number of people. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Democrat Rochelle Garza, a former attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, has struggled to fundraise at the levels needed to take on the well-funded and well-known incumbent. This means that overall, Abbotts Texas donors gave more than ORourkes Texas donors. Data for A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. Abbott, O'Rourke and more: See who's donating to Texas candidates ahead Abbott talks parental empowerment, 'regulatory consistency' to open Gov. He has attacked the city of Austin repeatedly for reducing its police budget and repealing a ban on camping in public spaces that had generated thousands of citations to homeless people in the past. Abbott compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022: The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Texas PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Spent $5.3 Million On Reelection Inauguration Texas elected officials cant receive campaign donations during the session, but after it ended in May, they were showered in cash by the energy industry even more than usual for a group known for its deep pockets and generous campaign giving. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Cobos salary is $143,000. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. Because Texas doesnt have limits on contribution amounts, rich and powerful people can cut massive checks to campaigns. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Im grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63 million in just over four months as we support the powerful work of our organizers and more than 78,000 volunteers, O'Rourke said in the release. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. The Texas Tribune has been tracking contributions, expenditures and cash on hand for both candidates since ORourke officially entered the race in November last year. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. Some of the state data included errors in the address field; these records were corrected when possible such as when the donors address was available elsewhere in the data set and omitted from the location-based calculations when not. available information, the donor is given an economic code. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? for data entry). One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. A Texas Politics Project July poll indicates the race for Texas governor is tightening. Texas is already guaranteed record-setting spendingfor a governor's race this year, and the numbers keep climbing. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising - The Texas Tribune A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. Political contributions link ERCOT board to Abbott and the state - KSAT 4 min read. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. The Texas House Committee on State Affairs is scheduled to hold a joint hearing Thursday morning with the House Energy Resources Committee to examine what led to statewide electrical blackouts. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. 2022 campaign contributions: Who's backing Texas political candidates In addition, both Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC and Q-PAC, which are tied to billionaire Dan Friedkin and Geoffrey Raynor, respectively, have also donated to Abbott in the past. committee AND the candidate has received money from PACs representing that same ideological interest. For a time, there was buzz about Shelley Luther, who catapulted to fame for reopening her Dallas hair salon in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions. Donors who give more than $200 to any federal candidate, PAC or party committee must list their occupation and And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Greg) Abbott is taking million-dollar checks from the CEOs who profited off of the grid collapse, were receiving support from people all over Texas who want to ensure that our state finally leads in great jobs, world class schools and the ability to see a doctor," O'Rourke said in a statement. After the Defenders reached out to Cobos seeking comment Tuesday, Jon Oliver, an OPUC spokesperson, called back and said he was unaware of any campaign contributions made to Abbott. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. 20005. Connect with needs and opportunities from. Tribune: Texas Leaders Raked in Millions After Electric Grid Collapse Carney also said that while O'Rourke focuses on abortion rights and restricting assault-style weapons, Abbott would continue to emphasize economic issues, including the high inflation rate. Greg Abbott - Governor of Texas Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. All told, the candidates together have raised a combined $147 million, have spent almost $196 million and have a combined total of almost $8 million in their campaign coffers. Unsurprisingly, Gov. Gov. But an analysis of state campaign finance records by the KSAT 12 Defenders shows three current members of ERCOTs board have contributed thousands to Abbotts campaigns, with some of the funds dating back to his days as Texas Attorney General. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. Just 6%, or $1,141, of his overall campaign contributions in the brief June fundraising period after the 2015 legislative session came from the energy industry. We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * However, the patterns of contributions provide critical information for July 19, 2022 A fifth-generation Texan, Bob earned a bachelors degree from Harvard University. In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. ORourke, who only launched his campaign for governor in November last year, has raised just $61,000 from at least 2 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment., Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment.. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. But none has reaped campaign contributions on the scale of Abbott, who in six years in office has raised more than $150 million from donors, more than any governor in U.S. history. Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news, curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. With Democrat Joe Biden about to move into the White House and national Republicans in disarray over President Donald Trumps norm-shattering behavior in recent weeks, a big bankroll is about the only certainty Abbott can rely on. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. After the 2021 regular legislative session, energy industry donations totaling $26,000 for the period made up 88% of Paddies campaign contributions over just the last 10 days of June. Contributors 2022 $71,842,556 grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022 Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180 Top: 20 Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Committee Export to CSV Showing 1 to 20 of 20 entries Unprecedented: Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke edges Gov. Greg Abbott in the Coronavirus crisis. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. All rights reserved, Texas House Plans to Pass Largest Property Tax Decrease Ever,' Speaker Phelan Says, Texas Republicans to Vote on Resolution That Would Censure Rep. Tony Gonzales, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. motivation for each individual giver. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. The Stockyards Station Hotel, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty, donated over $382,000 in event expenses while HillCo PAC, an Austin lobbyist firm, donated a total of $336,000. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. Dan Patrick, she lost a special election for state Senate last month, Greg Abbott confronts coronavirus as stronger governor than Texas had 50 years ago, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million, Dark alley no more: This time, Texas Republicans were ready for the Democrats, Pandemic. But were looking at almost two years until our election. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. How many donations came from within Texas? Walker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott, contributed $7,620 to Texans for Greg Abbott from 2009 to 2015, state campaign records show. The data is made public by the Texas Ethics Commission. The twisted roots between the oil and gas industry and Texas lawmakers is almost as old as the Capitol building itself, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. contributor provides it. Beto O'Rourke out-raises Greg Abbott in campaign contributions Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke, according to January campaign finance reports, Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.